How Racehorses Are Helping Veterans Battle PTSD

Find out how the animals are helping them heal from the trauma of war

Melody Squier, the program's lead instructor and training director, watches a session.

In 2002, after 23 years of military service, Mary Jo White retired from the New York Air National Guard—and soon after stopped sleeping. During her career, the 68-year-old had served during the first Gulf War as a flight nurse at bases in Saudi Arabia and Oman, and on September 12, 2001, she reported to Ground Zero with a team of first responders to support the search and rescue effort. Through it all, she'd been able to cope—and sleep—just fine. But suddenly, in the quiet of retirement, disturbing thoughts began to break through.

"I'd have nightmares about the horrific events I'd experienced, like Scud missile attacks on base. Sometimes I'd wake up crying or on the floor trying to find my gas mask," she says. "Gradually, intrusive thoughts began to affect everything in my life. I even became short-tempered with my friends."

Mary Jo had PTSD—those issues, as well as suicidal thoughts and anxiety, are symptoms. For 12 years Mary Jo coped on her own and tried talk therapy, which didn't work. It wasn't until early 2014 that she confided in a fellow veteran, who told her about a place where he'd received help for combat trauma: Saratoga WarHorse (SWH). The foundation, which operates on a farm in Saratoga Springs, NY (and in Aiken, SC), offers an equine-based program to aid veterans with PTSD. The three-day sessions, held twice a month, are free for veterans. Founded by Bob Nevins, himself a decorated war veteran who flew medevacs in Vietnam, the nonprofit rescues retired thoroughbreds whose racing careers have ended due to age or injury and who, in serious cases, might be euthanized. It then pairs them with veterans who are struggling to adapt to life back home. Together, they begin to heal. "Reintegrating into herd life from racing can be stressful for horses and is much like a soldier coming home to civilian life," says Marilyn Lane, thoroughbred industry relations director for SWH. Behaviors that are critical during war, such as being on high alert, can feel unsettling at home. That's when PTSD can arise.

Bob began Saratoga WarHorse five years ago in response to a shortage of help for veterans with PTSD. "It's a national crisis. The suicide rate among vets is alarmingly high," he says. "I watched my generation of Vietnam veterans go through dark times after coming home." When hesaw it happening with soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, he says, "I couldn't stand by without trying to help, so I did some out-of-the-box thinking."

On the first day of a session, participants are taught how to approach the animals. Interactions with horses require consistency and clarity—two practices that also tend to help with anxious feelings. "When approaching a horse, you need to be focused on the here and now to give out clear signals," says Melody Squier, the program's lead instructor and training director.

Next, participants engage in a series of exercises. After turning the horse loose in the pen, the veteran stands in the middle and, using hand signals and body language, starts a conversation with the horse. "They learn to communicate in the horse's language," says Bob. Eventually, the animal will approach the veteran, "and the two begin to bond." That emotional connection, he says, is very powerful.

During a session with a bay gelding named Whiskey, Mary Jo found her first inkling of peace. "I was hoping to get a good night's sleep out of this," she says. "But I got much more." Feeling in sync with the animal grounded her in a way nothing else had. "When Whiskey came up to me and put his nose on my shoulder, I could feel the stress pool off me. I felt like a weight was lifted."

Saratoga WarHorse is not a cure for PTSD, but the experience jumpstarts the healing process. Since its 2011 launch, more than 100 veterans have gone through the program, including more than 20 women. "I'm so thankful I had that moment with Whiskey," Mary Jo says. "I knew that afternoon that things would be different from then on. I took my first step toward healing."

Did you know? PTSD affects women at twice the rate of men, and women in the military are at an even higher risk.

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